The Plumbline

As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. (Psalm 18:30) Have you ever wondered why you don't resist temptation on occasion? You were sailing along just fine, and then out of nowhere came this thought. That thought began to consume your other thoughts until it finally began to stimulate the formation of an action. Before you knew it, along came the full-fledged response to the temptation and it wasn't resistance! Just like that, you 'indulged' yourself in the sin you tried to resist for so long. How does this happen? It is usually because we take ourselves out of the refuge we find in Jesus. As long as we are safe in that refuge, we resist just fine. Step outside of those boundaries just a bit and the temptation can overwhelm to the point of full compromise. His refuge? It begins with his Word. If you haven't figured it out by now, you can actually use his Word to combat many of those initial thoughts and kee...

I am not always excited to endure a trial of any sort - how about you? Do you eagerly await the next trial or temptation? I doubt you do! You are probably thinking about barely surviving with your sanity from the last doozy of a trial you went through, aren't you? Standing the test isn't for the weak hearted - it is for the bold hearted - those with the faith of a mustard seed, willing to put that faith to the test, even when the outcome seems a little foredrawn in your mind. The foredrawn conclusion? It is going to be tougher than you can endure! Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12) The foredrawn conclusion doesn't always take God into account, does it? Sometimes we come to that conclusion all on our own - out of fear, past failures, and a lack of total trust in the one we serve. We give a whole lot of lip service to serving Christ, putting him f...